Let's look
at the bad news first:
Mankind
is separated from God by sin.
To sin, means to "miss the
mark". That is what mankind has been doing for generations:
missing the mark in regards to God's standards. We can't
come into the relationship with God that we were intended
to have, on our own, because as sinful creatures, we can't
enter the presence of a holy (sinless and perfect) God.
We can't be "good enough" to get to heaven.
God does not weigh your good deeds against your bad deeds.
Neither does He care if you attended church or went through
some sort of religious ritual. He does not even take into
account that you might call yourself a Christian, or think
that because your parents were Christians, you are too.
Romans 3:23 "for
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"
Romans 3:10 "As
it is written: 'There is no one righteous, not even one'
"
The
penalty for sin is death.
The only payment for sin is death
-- eternal separation from God. Spiritual death is the
result of sin because man is separated from God by his
sin. Physical death is also a result of sin. When the
first man and woman whom God had created sinned, the world
was changed. Sin brought death to the world, and a curse
upon all of creation. But God would use the curse of death
to bring about a restoration of mankind from sin!
Romans 6:23 "For
the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Now
the good news:
Jesus paid for our sin and
made it possible to be reunited with God.
Jesus, who is called the Son of
God, and who is God, chose to come to earth in the form
of a man. His mission was to pay the price for our sin,
and to die as a sinless sacrifice in our place, so that
He could become our advocate before God -- our Savior!
No longer do we have to be separated from God eternally.
We can live during and after this life, with and for God.
We can have His power and strength in our lives through
our relationship with Him.
Romans 5:1 "Therefore,
since we have been justified through faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"
Romans 5:11 "Not
only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation."
You can
know you are going to heaven, and know the living Christ!
First, you must recognize that you
are a sinner and unable to save yourself from the judgment
of death. You must realize that you can't get to heaven
by yourself. You must "repent" of your sin.
Repentance does not just mean "feel sorry for";
it means you must "change your mind" about the
way you live in sin. You must be willing to hand over
control of your life to Jesus. Talk to God. He can hear
you! There is no special formula/prayer which you must
pray. Prayer is simply communication (talking and listening)
with God. Just talk to Him from your heart, and mean it
when you pray. Admit to Him that you are a sinner. Admit
that you can't save yourself. Ask Jesus to come into your
heart and forgive your sins. And then turn and begin to
walk in His truth and His ways.
Romans 10:9-10
"That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,'
and believe in your heart that God raised him from the
dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that
you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth
that you confess and are saved."
Jesus promised that He would never
leave you or forsake you! He said he would put His Holy
Spirit in your heart to guide and teach you... and to
mark you as one of His own forever!
Romans 8:11 "And
if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is
living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will
also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit,
who lives in you."
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm
in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on
us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing
what is to come."
If you
have prayed in such a way, and have truly meant it in your
heart, whether you felt anything dramatic take place or
not, you are now a child of God!
The
next step...
Now it is time to be introduced to
your new brothers and sisters in Christ! Seek out a Christian
church, or some Christians you know of, and become accountable
to them. Tell them what has happened to you! They will help
you grow in your relationship with God. Begin to pray to
God regularly. Let your new family help you learn of His
truths and wisdom in the Bible. As a sign and witness of
your changed life, be baptized as Jesus commanded. Continue
to grow and let the Lord change your life, taking away the
old way of life and bringing new life!
Acts 2:38 "Peter
replied, 'Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in
the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.' "
Hebrews 3:13 "But
encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today,
so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."
Hebrews 10:24-25
"And let us consider how we may spur one another
on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting
together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us
encourage one another --and all the more as you see the
Day approaching."
If you have accepted
the Lord because of this web page, we would like to hear
from you! We can pray for you, and we want to help you grow
in your relationship with Christ. If you don't have any
Christian friends, or don't know how to find a good church,
please let us know so we can assist you in finding a local
church. Please fill out the form below to contact us.
Welcome to
the family of God!
